Over the last few years local government has been driven by an ‘efficiency' agenda which focuses on shared services and outsourcing, and is measured by ‘unit cost'.

However, the untapped ‘efficiencies' to be found by working in different ways are an often missed ingredient of the ‘efficiency' agenda.

An example I would give is the regular forums we hold for our middle managers, where we discuss topical issues, undertake ‘management master classes' to share best practice, keep everyone up-to-date with the latest developments, and identify ‘hot issues'.

When you're seriously trying to work as one team, sessions such as these are fundamental in terms of building and maintaining relationships among individuals and across services. All too often, this kind of event is seen as an add-on. But in my view, they're a key part of the ‘day job'.

Managers gain a lot from the opportunity to share successes and to consider solutions collectively in a workshop environment. We find our sessions stimulate discussions between the most unlikely pairs and groups of managers who otherwise might not come into contact with each other.

The resulting shared understanding of each others' roles is clearly evidenced not only by their individual achievements across the council, but also in their collective approach to problem-solving and project development.

By bringing our managers together, they become much more flexible in their approach. They also become more ambitious, not just for themselves, but also for the council and the local community. They not only think outside the proverbial box, they actually work outside it.

This results in everyone having access to an amazing talent pool and it also means we can shift resources around without anyone being ‘precious' about anyone's empire because the only empire is the council!

Middle managers are the backbone of any organisation. They are the bridge between strategy and reality as it is they who best know the staff at the coal face and the local community.

They are therefore fundamental to sustainable improvement. That is why I place so much importance on the amazing middle management team we have at Fenland. That is also why, at our last session when more than 40 of them individually shared with their peers their views about why we're the most improved council in the country, their focus on the customer, their appetite for efficiency, and the power of their collective enthusiasm was inspiring, moving and a privilege to witness.

Tim Pilsbury is chief executive at Fenland DC